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| Emily Pauline Johnson (March 10, 1861 - March 7, 1913) |
"Easter"
by E. Pauline Johnson
April 1, 1888
Lent gathers up her cloak of sombre shading
In her reluctant hands.
Her beauty heightens, fairest in its fading,
As pensively she stands
Awaiting Easter's benediction falling,
Like silver stars at night,
Before she can obey the summons calling
Her to her upward flight,
Awaiting Easter's wings that she must borrow
Ere she can hope to fly -
Those glorious wings that we shall see to-morrow
Against the far, blue sky.
Has not the purple of her vesture's lining
Brought calm and rest to all?
Has her dark robe had naught of golden shining
Been naught but pleasure's pall?
Who knows? Perhaps when to the world returning
In youth's light joyousness,
We'll wear some rarer jewels we found burning
In Lent's black-bordered dress.
So hand in hand with fitful March she lingers
To beg the crowning grace
Of lifting with her pure and holy fingers
The veil from April's face.
Sweet, rosy April - laughing, sighing, waiting
Until the gateway swings,
And she and Lent can kiss between the grating
Of Easter's tissue wings.
Too brief the bliss - the parting comes with sorrow.
Good-bye dear Lent, good-bye!
We'll watch your fading wings outlined to-morrow
Against the far blue sky.
* This poem is found in public domain.
Emily Pauline Johnson, also known in Mohawk as Tekahionwake (March 10 1861 – March 7 1913), commonly known as E. Pauline Johnson or just Pauline Johnson, was a Canadian writer and performer popular in the late 19th century. Her father was a Mohawk chief of mixed ancestry, and her mother an English immigrant. She was notable for her poems and performances that celebrated her First Nations heritage. Johnson's poetry was published in Canada, the United States and in Great Britain. She was one of a generation of widely read writers, who began to define Canadian literature.
HAPPY EASTER!
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